SpeCial North
Day 01: Hanoi – Bac Kan - Ba Be National Park
- A good condition 4WD car and experienced driver for 250km
- Pick up at your hotel, head up the northeast, visit the Ethnology museum in Thai Nguyen and then drive up to Bac Kan mountain province. After lunch continue our trip on snake roads entering Ba Be National Park
- You will enjoy a tranquil night among primitive forest and high mountains
- Dinner and overnight on the traditional stilt house of the Tay in Bac Ngoi hamlet could be a worth chance to talk and learn about the culture, typical custom of the Tay minority
Inclusive services: 4WD car, tour guide, entrance fee, home-stay and meals (L + D)
Day 02:Boating around Ba Be lake – Cao Bang
- Take a boat trip throughout the lake 1, 2, 3.
- Continue boating along Nang river, enjoying the stunning landscapes among high mountains and primitive forest, visit a village of Tay minority by the riverbank, Puong cave and enjoy lunch at Dau Dang waterfall.
PM: Drive to Cao Bang
- Dinner and overnight in Cao Bang.
Inclusive services: 4WD car, tour guide, entrance fee, boat, hotel and meals (B + L)
Day 03: Cao Bang – Ban Gioc Waterfall - Meo Vac
AM: Drive to visit Ban Goc waterfall – the hugest waterfall of Vietnam
PM:
- Drive out of Cao Bang upwards Meo Vac ( the plateau of rocky mountain) – on the secluded snake path, stopover for pretty scenery pictures and visits to ethnic minority villages nearby the roads
-Dinner and overnight in Meo Vac.
Inclusive services:4WD car, tour guide, entrance fee, hotel and meals (B + L)
Day 04: Meo Vac – Dong Van - Ha Giang
Dong Van and Meo Vac - the highest frontier points of Vietnam Nation bordering with China, restricted area in the past but lately opening to welcome adventure visitors. Terrain of rugger rock mountains high and sharp, the local people had spent 38 years to construct the road especially the workers had to hang themselves to work on the rugger rock cliffs during 11 months and they named this thread road is The Road of Happiness
Say good bye to Meo Vac, we drive back to Dong Van on the same way, this is because of the unique road and ended in Meo Vac.
- 07h30 head upon the unique thread road to Quan Ba. Enjoy spectacularly landscape at the Heaven Gate Sa Phin.
- Driving up, viewing Ma Pi Leng huge peak, Nho Que deep river and the Parallel hill – the simple of Ha Giang province
- Visit Dong Van market and the ancient palace of King Cat (Dinh Ho Vuong)
- After lunch in Dong Van, Head down to Ha Giang for overnight
Inclusive services:4WD car, tour guide, entrance fee, hotel and meals (B + L)
Day 05: Ha Giang – Bac Ha – Overnight in Bac Ha
- Drive on the horizontal road from the Northeast to the Northwest to reach Bac Ha
- Arrive in Bac Ha: tek to visit Ban Pho village of the Flower H’mong minority
- Visit Na Hoi village and overnight in a guest house – home-stay here
Inclusive services:4WD car, tour guide, entrance fee, homestay and meals (B + L + D)
Day 06: Bac Ha minority Market - Sapa
- Breakfast at the guesthouse and then walk to visit Bac Ha market – the most colorful minority market of the Northwest Vietnam.
- Independently attend the market that known as the most colorful ethnic market of all Northwest Vietnam. It is a fusion of many different hill tribes inhabiting around Bac Ha moutain district and here you can easily distinguish them by their different colorful costume dressing
- Attend the market, you will find out not only typical traditional costume but also the way of bartering trade existing in daily life of the Tay, the Dzay, the Red Dzao, the Black H’mong…
- After lunch, we will drive back to Lao Cai but on half way we will stop to trek down hill 2km to visit Trung Do village of the Tay minority and from here we will take a boat trip on Chay river
- A simple boat trip along Chay river will lead you under high waterfalls, call on for a visit to a Flower Mong family or black Dzao ethnic minority
Afterward the car will pick us up at Bac Ngam bridge then drive down hill to the Ha Khau Vietnam – China border gate for a visit then continue up hill to Sapa
- 17h00 arrive in Sapa, check in hotel - free time to enjoy Sapa
Inclusive services: Private car or Bus ticket to Bac Ha, tour guide, meals (B) and hotel 3*
Day 07: Sa Pa Trekking to 4 villages: Ylinh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai village
6-7 hrs trekking throughout 4 hamlets - visit 2 different kinds of minority.
- Trek down to YlinhHo and Lao Chai village of the black H’mong people.
After a picnic lunch, keep on alongside Muong Hoa stream, over suspension bridges to Ta Van village of the Dzay people.
- Keep trekking to Cau May (Rattan Suspension bridge) - Giang Ta Chai I. Visit and stay overnight with a local family of the Dzay minority.
- With your tour guide and the house owners, we will set up a temporary cooking class to learn how to cook Vietnamese food for dinner.
- Enjoying your dinner and getting to know local typical traditional customs, cultural….
Inclusive services: Transfer, tour guide, home-stay permit and meals (B + L + D)
Day 08: Ta Van - Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Sa Pa – Night train back to Hanoi
5 - 6hrs trekking with surprises at what you have never seen before
In the early morning you will be sure to be woken up by the households but lucky to see how is their daily life for a new day coming!
- Enjoy some pancakes made by your tour guide’s skillful hands.
- Start a new trek into Hoan Lien Son National Park by more stunning landscapes and other ethnic minority villages dotted further your eyes sigh. Visit Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Dao minority and then continue that trail to Su Pan village for lunch
- Enjoy magnificent view of Ba Ho valley or visit some local houses of the Tay and then a standby car to return to Sapa.
- Free time until18h00 transfer down to Lao Cai station for the night train back to Hanoi
- 20h10 catch the night train back to Hanoi
Inclusive services: Tour guide, transfer, entrance fee, train ticket (type: 4 soft berths in a cabin with a.c) and meal (B + L)
Day 09: Ha Noi - Ha Long bay - Overnight on Vega Cruise
AM
- 05h00 you will arrive in Hanoi. picked up and transfer to Vega Travel office, get a room to refresh and shower…
- Approximately 08h00 our professional tour guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel for the 3,5 hour drive through the Red River Delta to the town of Bai Chay and the Ha Long boat station.
- 11h45 Welcome aboard and enjoy a fresh seafood lunch on the boat restaurant while we cruise further into the bay of immensity of limestone mountains
PM
- Sit back and relax as we cruise past the following islands and sights: the Dog stone, the Fighting Cock islet and the couple islet via the 3 -tunnel grotto, the floating fishing villages and fish farms.
- Visit the largest cave in the bay called Hang Sung Sot (Surprising cave).
- Paddle in our 2-person kayak through a limestone tunnel grotto called (Hang Luon) into a lovely lagoon. You may even see wild monkeys playing on the mountain cliffs. Paddle along and through narrow passages to visit the Man head island, Butterfly cave and Horse Neck cave. Spend more time swimming from the boat or kayak in the emerald waters…
Anchor in a tranquil lagoon among Bai Tu Long Bay, Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay for dinner and a peaceful night on the boat.
Inclusive services:Vega van and 1 deluxe double on Vega Cruise and full-time English speaking tour guide, kayak, entrance fees into Halong Bay, meals (L+ D)
Rooms on the Cruise: Air-conditioned rooms, private bathroom and window with an ocean view see the cruise's amenities in Images Tab)
Day 10: Halong Bay – Bai Tu Long Bay - Hanoi
AM
- 07h00 Wake up, do morning exercises on the boat deck and then the boat will drop us on Titop Beach island.
- Walk up 340 constructed terraced steps to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise over the bay. The 360 degree view is breath-taking from this pagoda with views of Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island Nat Park.
- Walk down to Titop beach, a naturally formed sand beach, for a refreshing dip in the bay.
Afterwards enjoy breakfast on the boat while we cruise towards Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island.
- Cruise past Van Gia fishing village further into Bai Tu Long Bay. This outer route will lead you into an area lesser traveled by tourist and well-known for its magnificent seascapes
- We will stop for a while in a peaceful place for relaxation on the boat deck before heading for Halong pier.
PM
- 11h45 Disembark and transfer to a hotel restaurant for lunch.
- After lunch we will drive back to Hanoi
- Estimated to arrive in Hanoi between 16h30 – 17h00.
Inclusive services:
Vega mini van and cruise, full time English speaking tour guide and meals (B + L)
